Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ink cartridge for an inkjet printer, and more particularly, to an ink cartridge for an inkjet printer, in which since each of contact terminals formed on a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) and a head chip of a print head is formed on a large area by surface-mounting the head chip on the FPCB in a ball grid array (BGA) manner, a high level of integration technology is not required, hence the FPCB and the head chip are easily manufactured and manufacturing costs thereof are decreased, since a low level of precision needs to be maintained while mounting the head chip on the FPCB such that the contact terminals contact each other, the print head is conveniently and quickly manufactured, and since a high level of precise minute manufacturing technology is not required by disposing the contact terminal formed on the FPCB to have optimum space efficiency, the ink cartridge is easily manufactured and the head chip and the FPCB are further easily connected to each other.
Background Art
Generally, an ink cartridge used in an inkjet printer includes an ink fountain in which ink is stored and a head unit ejecting ink, wherein print is performed as ink is ejected from the head unit onto a paper according to a print command of the printer.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a structure of a general ink cartridge for an inkjet printer according to a related art, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a structure of a general print head according to a related art.
Generally, as shown in FIG. 1, an ink cartridge for an inkjet printer includes a housing body 100 storing ink in an internal space and a print head 200 mounted on the housing body 100 to discharge the ink stored in the housing body 100.
The print head 200 includes a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) 210 combined to one side of the housing body 100, and a head chip 220 including a plurality of ejection nozzles for discharging the ink and mounted on the FPCB 210. Pattern circuits (not shown) for controlling operations of the head chip 220 is formed on the FPCB 210, and the head chip 220 performs an operation for accurately discharging the ink while exchanging an electric signal with a printer body through the FPCB 210.
As shown in FIG. 2, the head chip 220 may be mounted on the FPCB 210 as a plurality of chip contact terminals 222 formed at an edge of one side edge of the print head 200 and a plurality of board contact terminals 212 formed on the FPCB 210 contact each other.
In more detail, a head chip mounting portion 211 that is a region on which the head chip 220 is mountable is formed at one side of the FPCB 210, and the plurality of board contact terminals 212 are formed at one side edge of the head chip mounting portion 211 on locations corresponding to the chip contact terminals 222 of the head chip 220. When the head chip 220 is accommodated on the head chip mounting portion 211 of the FPCB 210 according to such a structure, the chip contact terminals 222 of the head chip 220 and the board contact terminals 212 of the FPCB 210 contact each other, and at this time, the head chip 220 is mounted on the FPCB 210 by soldering the terminals.
Here, the plurality of chip contact terminals 222 and the plurality of board contact terminals 212 are formed in relatively narrow sections respectively in the head chip 220 and the FPCB 210, and in addition, the pattern circuits (not shown) respectively connected to the board contact terminals 212 are formed in the FPCB 210.
Accordingly, while manufacturing the print head 200 of the ink cartridge, the plurality of chip contact terminals 222 and the plurality of board contact terminals 212 need to be formed in very narrow sections, and thus a high level of a precise integration technology is required. The necessity of such a high level of an integration technology is further increasing according to a recent upward trend of print resolution. Also, while connecting the head chip 220 to the FPCB 210, a high level of a precise connection technology is also required since connection locations need to be accurately maintained such that the board contact terminals and the chip contact terminals 222 are correspondingly connected to each other.
Accordingly, it is very difficult and complicated to manufacture the ink cartridge, and in addition, highly precise equipment is required to manufacture the ink cartridge, and thus manufacturing costs are high.